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REGIONAL FOCUS: U.S. GULF OF MEXICO of which would prefer to preserve their optionality by not TOMS & BORDER PROTECTION et al” began working committing their assets to long-term contracts before rig prices its way through the court system. In this case, the plaintiffs improve. That dynamic effects our short term acutely.” (including Shipbuilders Council of America and Offshore

Marine Service Association) have asked the Court to over-

A RISING TIDE: WILL IT FLOAT ALL THE BOATS? turn various Customs Border Protection rulings interpreting

During the summer, optimism was returning, with rig the Jones Act in a way that’s favored foreign vessel owners. utilization fueling demand for OSVs. Offshore brokers For Jones Act OSV owners, favorable rulings could provide

Seabreeze, quoting data from IHS-Petrodata, advised their a lid on overall supply, pushing their utilization numbers up. clients that September 2018 rig utilization in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (USGOM) stood at 47.2%, up from 35.1% a IN THE LONG RUN year earlier. Data provider Platts, measuring utilization Alternative energy sources are in the news, but fossil fuels slightly differently, pegged early October 2018 utilization will be around for a long time. Over the longer term, mea- of rigs in the USGOM at 50.8%. sured in decades, the Class Society DNV GL, in its 2018

Such